How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
This week is National Patient Recognition Week, and it’s also the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, so we’re highlighting the ways we show our love, compassion, care and appreciation to our guests and their families at Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg. We hope this inspires your own work in hospice care, or that this helps to keep us in mind if we can help you or your family. We also welcome you to join the creative efforts of our volunteer force which makes all of these special ways of caring possible!
Comfort Pillows
When a guest is admitted to Hospice House they and/or their family is given a Comfort Pillow. These pillows are quilted by our volunteers, a team of committed quilters from the United Methodist Women’s group who gather on a monthly basis to assemble fabric and stuffing for the pillows that our guests will hold in their final hours and days. Families of guests are invited to take these pillows home with them as a way to remember their loved ones and their stay here at Hospice House. The pillows add a decorative touch of comfort to each room in the house.
Refreshments
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- Two of our Hospice House Companions, Penny Wilcox (left) and Kristen Bilger (right)
When you walk into Hospice House, you can almost always smell something sweet baking. Our Hospice House Companions bake a fresh batch of cookies and brownies on a regular basis for our visitors. On most days, our companions also have a pot of coffee brewing to go with our sweet treats. These batches of refreshments would not be possible without the generous donations made by individuals within our community from our Hospice House Wish List.
Music
Each Sunday, Hospice House provides music through our talented team of volunteer musicians. Harpists, guitarists, key board players, violinists and more make up this wonderful group of volunteers. At Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg, we recognize the power of music to comfort, calm and provoke memory, and we find that our guests and their family members will often open their doors to allow the beautiful music to flow into their rooms. Our musician volunteers also give of their time and talents to support our annual memorial services, held both at Hospice House and within the Williamsburg community.
Flowers
Every Thursday, our local Trader Joe’s donates flowers to Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg. Our companions assemble these flowers into arrangements that decorate our guests’ rooms and our living space in Hospice House. Hospice House & Support Care also receives regular donations from area garden clubs for decorating the foyers and mantles of Hospice House. These flowers allow our guests and families to feel as though they are truly in a “home away from home” during their time at Hospice House.
Mittens
Long after our guests and their families have departed from Hospice House, we continue to remember them through our bereavement services. A team of volunteers reaches out each month to those within our community who are struggling in their grief, and one of the items that they deliver to our bereaved family members in the winter months are mittens. These mittens are generously knit by one of our very talented Hospice House volunteers. We find that the gesture of remembering our grieving families is one of the most powerful. One of our thriving bereavement groups, our Hospice House Walking/Social Group, dons these mittens on their weekly walks during the winter as well.
If you are interested in helping us continue to spread the love, care and comfort to our guests and families, please feel free to contact us: volunteer@williamsburghospice.org.
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